So, you didn’t watch the Grammys because you were watching “Downton Abbey” or “True Detective” or the Pro Bowl. (Ha, just kidding on that last one). Or because you, correctly, figured there were better ways to spend nearly four hours. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to take part in the discussion that’s happening Monday morning. So, here — use these talking points and you’ll be right there with everyone who watched every moment.

Daft Punk does not break character under any circumstance.

Even upon winning the biggest award of the night, album of the year, the helmeted French duo behind last year’s still-inescapable “Get Lucky” didn’t ditch their signature headgear. This is impressive not just in terms of commitment to character but also because it had to be hot in those helmets after nearly four hours, right?

The duo stayed silent when winning major awards for record of the year and best pop duo/group performance, letting collaborator Pharrell Williams speak on their behalf. And when their name was called for album of the year, the “robot” duo shared an embrace and accepted their trophies but remained wordless and under their helmets.

Speaking of Mr. Williams . . . what was the deal with Pharrell’s hats?

If you want to get people talking, this is probably the one question to ask. Anyone who watched will have opinions, jokes and comparisons to other famous hats. Like Arby’s, which was happy to play along. And there was no shortage of opportunities to talk about the hat, since Pharrell — the vocalist on “Get Lucky” — took the stage with Daft Punk every time the duo won an award.

It looked like it was going to be Macklemore’s night, but it was only kind of his night.

The Seattle rapper — along with his trusty sidekick Ryan Lewis — seemed poised to be the big winner after he swept the rap categories in the pre-telecast awards ceremony. In winning best rap performance, best rap song and best rap album, he beat out the likes of Drake, Eminem, Jay Z, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar. Not exactly weak competition. And while there was the expected win for best new artist, the “Thrift Shop” star was shut out of the other major categories.

But on a night filled with spectacle performances, it was Macklemore’s performance of gay-rights anthem “Same Love” that stood out, thanks to the — sweet? gimmicky? both? — actual marriages of 33 couples (billed as gay, straight and of mixed ethnic backgrounds) who officially tied the knot during the performance. Oh yeah, Queen Latifah was the officiant and Madonna came out to sing, as well.

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Backstage at the Grammys

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Beyonce, Jay Z, Jared Leto, Taylor Swift and more pose for photos before and after taking the stage at the 2014 Grammy Awards.

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Beyonce, Jay Z, Jared Leto, Taylor Swift and more pose for photos before and after taking the stage at the 2014 Grammy Awards.

If you’ve been paying at least sort-of close attention, you already know who these two young female performers are. Lorde is the 17-year-old New Zealander whose breakout single “Royals” remains an unstoppable force; Kacey Musgraves is the 25-year-old Texan who has emerged as country music’s brightest new star. Both had big nights. Lorde gave a typically bewitching performance of “Royals” early in the evening and took home awards for song of the year and best pop solo performance. Musgraves gave a sweet and straightforward performance of her hit “Follow Your Arrow” before taking home the award for best country album. In that category, she beat out Taylor Swift, who might be losing her magic touch. The former Grammy favorite went home empty-handed.

It is still Beyonce’s world and we are still just living in it.

It may seem like eons ago, but way back at the beginning of the show, Queen Bey kicked things off with a commanding and seductive performance of “Drunk in Love.” Everyone in the audience seemed to be basking in her presence; even when husband Jay Z emerged for his verse, he seemed to be simply be doing the same. For 8 p.m. on CBS, it was pretty risque.

The show was long. Far, far too long.

There is absolutely no reason that show needed to be nearly four hours. Dedicating the telecast to performances instead of awards makes sense, but it would have been OK to trim a few. More than a few. We’d all be just fine and a little less tired if, say, Hunter Hayes, John Legend, Metallica/Lang Lang and Keith Urban/Gary Clark, Jr., didn’t make the final cut. This was the double-LP of awards shows, and there are always too many tracks on double LPs.

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Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.